Warmth In Unexpected Arms
by Lady Cantara
Summary: After the death of Lily's parents Lily finds comfort in the arms of someone she would never expect, James Potter. As he helps her escape to safety and cope with her grief, will her feelings change from enemy to friend to lover? Read please.
1. From Fun to Danger

Disclaimer: Okay, I do not own any of the amazing characters in this story. They belong to Lady Rowling.

AN: Okay, this story takes place in July at the end of 6th year and everyone is about to enter their final year at Hogwarts. Just so everyone is clear. I am terribly sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes but I was so excited, I wanted to get this out as soon as possible! Thanks! Oh, and please review. J

**_Warmth In Unexpected Arms_**

**_Chapter 1: A Plan_**

**__**

James Potter sat on the floor of his living room with his 3 best friends. It was the end of their 6th year and they were about to enter their final year at Hogwarts. He had Sirius, Remus and Peter over, who were spending the night

"No, I did not look like a scrawny cow when I first came to Hogwarts." James yelled at Peter, Remus and Sirius who were all on the floor, laughing.

"Sorry mate, but I'm afraid you did." Sirius said holding his stomach.

"Well if I did then you looked like a-"

"Sexy, _sexy_ man?" Sirius asked. James glared at him.

"No, I was going to say like a pickled wart hog."

"Oh please, when have you ever seen a pickled wart hog?" Sirius asked disbelieving.

"Well your sister for one…" he said and that was it. The four friends burst into a fit of laughs.

"And you..." James said to Remus between cackles, "were the male version of a beetle. A dung beetle for that matter who plays with dung." At this everyone (save Remus) laughed harder.

"I did not! And I don't play with my dung."

"Well you don't now…" Peter said. Remus cast him a menacing look.

"You are one to talk. I couldn't sit next to you the first day with out gagging. I KNOW you used to play in your own dung because the smell was horrid!" Remus said. Sirius snorted and hit his head on the table next to him. With that movement everyone was thrown backwards in yet another fit of rather immature giggles.

"Really, I will never understand what it is you all find so amusing about telling each other how ugly and gross you are."

The four nearly grown men stopped laughing and turned to the voice. Karen Potter stood in the entrance way of the living room of the Potter house. The four boys looked at her ready to burst out in laughter again. She smiled at them and shook her head.

"I want you all in bed asleep by 1:00 okay?"

"Well technically Mrs. Potter we don't all have beds, just sleeping bags." Sirius said.

"You have a bed Sirius from when you were living with us. And James DOES live here so he has a bed, of course." She said.

"Oh that's right." Sirius said, then turned to Peter and Remus. "Ha, ha you two don't have beds. She loves me and James more!" James rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at his friend. Mrs. Potter laughed.

"Well anyways," she said looking at James. "Your father and I are going to a party at the Longbottoms. We will be back later on in the morning. If there are any emergencies use floo and go to-"

"Aunt Midge's, I know mum." James said, cutting her off.

"James, don't talk back to your mother." Steven Potter said coming down the stairs. He, however, had a smile on his face.

"Good night boys." Karen said to them all as she walked out the door, arm in arm with her husband. The marauders yelled their goodnights.

"James I'm hungry." Peter said after they walked out the door. Remus, Sirius and James all rolled their eyes.

"What?"

"We JUST had a pizza. You ate half of it." Remus said.

"Did not!"

"Yes you did!" The other three boys said in unison.

James sighed. "Whatever is in the kitchen you can have Peter."

"Thanks James." He said putting emphasis on James' name.

When Peter came back from the kitchen he had an armful of chips and cookies. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Want to play wizards chess?" Remus asked Sirius to keep him from making some sort of comment that would only cause an argument. He nodded yes so Remus went up to James's room to get it. But before he could make it half way up the stairs he heard a woosh and then someone coughing. He ran back downstairs to see what was happening.

On the floor in front of the fire place lay a girl that looked about the age of the marauders. Her face was streaked with tears. It appeared she had just used floo powder to arrive at the Potter house. The girl was their friend from school, Alice Everess.

"Alice! Oh my God, what's the matter?" James asked running over to where she was followed by Sirius, Remus and Peter. She sat up and Remus helped her to stand. She coughed brushing off the dust on her shirt.

"You have to come with me right now. I don't know what to do, I didn't know who else to come and find." She said.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Remus asked. She nodded yes.

"I'm fine, but Lily isn't." she said. At that, James turned his full attention on her. He liked Lily a lot, heck everyone said he loved her. She didn't feel the same way back but if she was hurt he cared and wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Where is she? What happened?" James asked. She just shook her head and beckoned them to the fire place.

"Come on, let's floo to Lily's house." She said. James went and got some floo from a bucket by the fireplace and gave some to all of his friends. He had Sirius go first then Remus, then Peter, Alice, and finally himself. He felt himself being spun around he kept his eyes shut and his elbows tucked in. What could have happened to Lily?

Finally he was spit out of the fire place. He got up and looked around. He was in a living room that looked like it would have been very comfortable except for the fact that it was a complete mess. The sofa was tipped over, broken lamps and vases were all over the floor. In the corner of the room, were two bodies. That of male and a female. They weren't moving. James gasped, knowing that they were dead.

Suddenly all of his senses were on alert. He looked to his friends who were all waiting for him. They too stared at the bodies, with bewildered looks on their faces. Sirius and Remus had their wands out and Peter hid behind them. Alice, who looked like she was about to start crying, beckoned to them to follow. She put a finger to her lips telling them to be quiet.

"What's going on?!?" he whispered fiercely to Alice.

"Don't talk." She said, as she led them up a flight of stairs.

When they reached the top she led them to a room. It too was ruined, a complete mess.

"Lily?" Alice said walking toward a closet. She pushed away a chest that was in front of it and opened the door. Sitting in the closet was Lily, holding her sister Petunia. They were both crying, silently. Their friend, and Alice's boyfriend Frank, sat with them, his wand out and ready. James walked over to Lily but she didn't look up at him. She merely kept her eyes shut as she rocked back and forth with her sister whimpering.

"Their house was attacked by Voldemort. He killed their parents immediately. Alice was spending the night here with Lily. Luckily, when it happened they heard and she rushed upstairs to where Lily's sister was, and they hid in the attic in their parents room. He searched for them, but couldn't find them." Frank was explaining to the new comers. "When they believed he was gone, the came out. Alice had them hide here in this closet while she went to get me and then you."

"Why inst the ministry here? Where are the adults?" Peter asked.

"There are people who work for Voldemort inside the Ministry and we need to keep them safe. And we don't know whose parents we can trust. My parents I know we can but I know they will think the best thing to do is to tell the Ministry and we just don't think that it is a good idea."

"So what now?" Remus asked.

"We need to get them safely to Dumbledore." Frank said.

"And how can we help?" James asked. He had his arm around Lily who now had her head resting on his chest. She was sobbing openly into him.

I don't know. That's why you are all here. You know more about sneaking around than anyone I know." Alice said.

"Okay, give me a minute and let me think." James said.

"Well it had better be a quick minute because we need to get out of here before someone shows up." Frank said. James nodded his understanding.

"Alice, can you take her?" he asked meaning Lily. "I need to talk to the marauders." She nodded and went and sat down and took her best friend into a hug. Lily pulled Petunia into it as well.

James got up and walked over to where his 3 friends were. They were all very pale and he knew he probably was too. This was all happening to fast. One minute they were joking and the next they were… here.

"Well?" Sirius asked.

"We have to get Lily out of here. He obviously came here looking for her." Remus said, everyone knowing who 'he' was.

"I agree. We can apparte to Hogsmeade and then take the entrance in the Shrieking Shack to Hogwarts." James said.

"No, that will take to long." Remus said.

"We don't have any other choice. Unless you can think of a faster way." James said. Remus shook his head. "Okay then it's settled."

James walked over to Frank and explained the plan to him.

"Alright, that sounds good. But we are going to leave Petunia here. She will be fine, no one will hurt her. She is a muggle, no one will bother her." Frank said.

"Lily?" James said bending down to where she was. He took her arm and helped her stand up. She looked up at him and grimaced at the pain in her eyes.

"We are going to go now. To somewhere safe. Do you think you can apparate?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Okay, we are going to leave your sister here because she can't come with us and will be safe here." he said to her.

"No! I can't leave her here! Alone… with…" she muttered as a fresh wave of tears came on. He hugged her.

"We have to. Trust me, it's the only way." He said. She looked up at him and nodded. It was that decision that made Petunia hate her sister for the rest of her life. Lily left Petunia alone, in a cold ruined house with her dead parents.

Lily said good bye to her sister, telling that she would be fine and someone would be by shortly to help her and then went over to where James was. For some reason, even though only a month earlier she had despised him, she felt like he could comfort her. and he was. She felt safe when she was with him.

"Ready?" he asked her gently.

"Yes."

"Alright then, let's go you guys." And with a _crack_ they all disappeared from the room.

AN: Do you like? Is it good? Crap? Let me know! How do you think all of this is going to pan out? And what is going on with Lily and James? Next chapter coming soon. Until then, review! J


	2. Lily's Struggle

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, unless Lady Rowling puts them up for auction in which case I will TOTALLY buy them. LOL.

AN: Here it is! Chapter 2! Please review! I would totally appreciate it. I mean what is the point of reading a story if you aren't going to tell the author if it sucked or not? :-) Oh, and the chapter title sucks and really doesn't fit but I couldn't think of anything better so if you have a good idea for it please tell me! Thanks!

Chapter 2 Lily's Struggle

_Crack!_ The seven mages appeared out of nowhere in front of a giant house they looked frightened and wary. Lily was standing there shaking her head.

"No, we need to go back. I shouldn't have left her. My sister… she can't be alone. I need to go back and be with her." Lily was saying, she seemed slightly unraveled but then she had a right to be.

"Lily, we can't. You know she can't come with us to Hogwarts." Alice said gently, her face full of sympathy.

"So what!? They can erase her memory or something! I can't believe I left her. I left her all alone with our dead parents!" Lily yelled and then gasped and covered her mouth at what she had said.

"I have to go to her." she whispered to herself and promptly apparated.

"Great!" Sirius said sarcastically.

"Wait here. I am going to go get her." James said.

"I am going too." Alice said and the two disappeared from sight and reappeared in the bedroom they had been in only minutes before.

They arrived just in time to see Lily rush out of the room. Petunia was no longer in it and Lily obviously had gone to find her. Alice and James rushed after her. She ran down the stairs and they followed.

Lily entered the living room, avoiding the area where she knew her parents were. Instead she looked at where eh sister was on the floor with two people, their neighbors, their backs turned to her. One was on the phone calling the muggle police.

_"Like they'll be any help."_ She thought to herself but at least her sister wasn't alone.

"Lily." She heard a voice whisper behind her. She turned to see James and Alice.

"Look she's alright, she's safe. Now come on Lily, let's go." James said whispering, leading her out of the room, but not before curiosity got the better of Lily and she turned to look at her parents. She stopped walking and stared at them, silent tears forming in her eyes. James walked over to her put his arms around her; Alice took Lily's hand in her.

The neighbors heard a soft _pop_ behind them and they turned to see what it was, but saw nothing and turned their attention back to Petunia.

"Oh good you are back." Frank said.

"My sister is okay." Lily said looking at the ground. Everyone nodded and said that it was good and such, and then fell quiet. They all stood there for a moment in an awkward silence.

"Okay." Peter said. Sirius elbowed him and glared at him.

"We should get going." James said more to Lily than anyone else. She nodded and they headed up the steps of the porch.

The house was really big and quite scary looking. Windows were broken and it had an eerie silence about it. the paint on it had originally been white but you could barely tell by looking at it now. It was chipped away to show the wood that had originally created the house, and the paint that was left was faded to an icky yellow color.

"Isn't this house haunted?" Lily asked James, who shook his head.

"No, it's not." He said. She looked at him with raised eyebrows, asking him what he meant and how he knew. She wanted to keep this conversation going to keep her mind off the events of the previous hour.

"it's a long story." He said glancing at Remus. "But I promise you, it's not haunted."

Lily nodded and pressed herself against him more. She was cold, even though it was quite warm out, and he felt warm to her. She thought that this whole situation was so odd. Only 2 months ago she had hated him and found him so annoying, and now within the past 20 minutes she felt drawn to him. His eyes were kind and he looked at her with sympathy and caring.

And he wasn't holding her like she was a fragile thing, he was holding her strong and safely. He had his arm around her now, which was good because as thoughts of her parents crossed her mind she felt that her knees would give out, and a few times they nearly did but he was there to catch her.

The got to the top of the porch and Sirius opened the door, and they walked into the house.

AN: Well, there it is. Chapter 2. Kinda short I know and I apologize but I wanted to get something out. Please review and I will write the next chapter faster and make it longer! Thanks.


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